Primakoff, Henry

Primakoff, Henry (1914–83) physicist; born in Odessa, Russia. He came to the U.S.A. in 1923, and taught and performed research at several New York City institutions. He then moved to Washington University, St. Louis (1946–60), and the University of Pennsylvania (1960–83). He was an inspirational educator who made major contributions to the physics of wave theory, cosmic rays, solid helium, and weak particle interactions. The "Primakoff effect" deals with the short lifespan of the meson, a subatomic particle.